Carlos Pun is a young talent from Peru whose works have been featured in solo shows internationally. Working with acrylics, graphite, and markers, Pun creates paintings in the style of pop and street art that reimagine classic cartoon characters and celebrities. He uses bright colors and incorporates graffiti into his works, adding depth and new textures to the canvas. We sat down with Carlos Pun to talk about his current projects, inspiration, and the start of his artistic career.
When did you know that you wanted to be an artist?
I have been involved in creating art since I was a kid. Various members of my family paint really well, but all of them have their own “day jobs”. I was raised with the mentality that you cannot live by art; just paint as a hobby and choose a “secure career” for your future. So I decided to do something similar, which was graphic design. After several years working hours and hours sitting in a chair in front of a computer I was completely bored. I did not want that to be my life, so I thought about what I would love to do every day for the rest of my life, that I could enjoy with passion and be happy with all of its aspects. That was the moment that I decided to be an artist.
Can you talk about your artistic influences and other artists that you are most inspired by?
I like to paint in different styles, techniques and combine them in a painting. I have been inspired by different artists like Rothko with his color depth and abstract landscapes; also by J. Pollock, with his abstract expressionism, which has very powerful and vibrant movements.
I have also always felt inspired by the best cartoonist and entrepreneur, the great Walt Disney. The creativity of Andy Warhol and his development of Pop Art. Jean Basquiat with the purest Street Art style, and his crazy and intense personality, and one of my favorites Leonardo da Vinci for all the secrets he left in his artworks and his determination to learn any subject by himself until he masters it.
Do you prefer to work alone or collaborate with others?
My preference is to work alone, because you have complete freedom to decide what to do with your paintings. It is also faster to finish the work by not depending on others.
I also do collaborations, which is a totally different process. For example doing a mural work, I prefer to join other artists, so we can accompany each other, share and have some fun. And collaborations with brands are different too, it takes more time since you have to align the brand with the artist and create harmony with the goal of the project.
Can you tell us about a project that you are currently working on?
Yes of course, I am working on a new collection recreating famous master paintings from all centuries, combined with my pop and street art style. But the difference is that these big paintings have a lot of details that you will recognize and will generate an emotion, depending on your connection with the item in the past or present.
What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t an artist?
If art was not an option in my life, I would still be working in graphic design giving services for companies for their branding, media and digital solutions.
Have you found any other artists on SINGULART whose work you admire?
Oh, I always see the works of Rie Kono, an artist from Japan. I love her dedication to details. They are so clean, stunning colors and her paintings have beautiful tales to tell.
What advice would you give to young artists who are just starting out?
At the beginning every door will be closed. To open them you need to work very hard and not just in your paintings, you have to work on yourself and on your emotional intelligence. When you fail and you want to quit, is when discipline will work out and keep you in track. You need to develop social skills, how to talk to people, how to negotiate, to close a deal, learn marketing skills to have more visibility in order to be everywhere. Make a plan for 1 year, 5 years to 10 years. If you need to work, take that job and invest in your art career. Remember that with each failure you will learn more and one day if you keep pushing, you will succeed.
